Intraspecific dietary variation in the short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis in the Bay of Biscay: importance of fat fish

Meynier, Laureline; Pusineri, Claire; Spitz, Jérôme; Santos, M.B.; Pierce, Graham J.; Ridoux, Vincent

doi:10.3354/meps07246

Cited by 102 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The association between Delphinus delphis, Uria aalge, Sardina pilchardus and Sprattus sprattus is in accordance with previous studies on the diet of these 2 predator species D. delphis and U. aalge (i.e. small pelagic fishes of length 0-20 cm with high energetic content; see Lorentsen & Anker-Nilssen 1999, Lance & Thompson 2005, Pusineri et al 2007, Meynier et al 2008. The occurrence of Hydrobates pelagicus in this group may be due to the fact that they target similar prey to Sardina pilchardus (i.e.…”

Section: Prey-predator Associations In the Bay Of Biscaysupporting

confidence: 89%

Investigating the coupling between small pelagic fish and marine top predators using data collected from ecosystem-based surveys

Certain¹,

Massé²,

Canneyt³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The present study is a general multivariate analysis of the spatial association between small pelagic fishes and their predators (seabirds, marine mammals and fisheries), using 6 yr (18 000 km) of transects surveyed in spring in the Bay of Biscay, France. We describe 4 groups of prey-predator association, with explicit distinction of prey size: (1) terns and anchovies (10 to 15 cm), (2) common dolphins, common murres, sprat and sardine (< 20 cm), (3) gannets, horse mackerel and mackerel (15 to 25 cm) and (4) bottlenose dolphin, horse mackerel and mackerel (25 to 40 cm). Our analysis also illustrates the great variability in these associations, with years of strong prey-predator associations followed by years of weak relationships. The analysis allows us to formulate predictions about the structure of the upper-pelagic food web in the Bay of Biscay in spring, and constitutes a good starting point for the analysis of data collected during ecosystem-based surveys in the Bay of Biscay. KEY WORDS: Marine top predators · Small pelagic fishes · Spatial associations · Temporal variability · Pelagic ecosystem · Bay of Biscay Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 422: [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] 2011 death (Ellis & Gabrielsen 2001). However, small pelagic fishes are mobile, clustered and unpredictable prey (Haugland & Misund 2004, Weimerskirch 2007. To cope with the high uncertainty associated with prey distribution and abundance, marine top predators have developed complex foraging strategies, based on optimal foraging paths in a heterogeneous environment (Russell et al. 1992, Viswanathan et al. 1996, Fauchald 1999, Pinaud & Weimerskirch 2005, Benhamou 2007, combined with an extensive use of socially shared information and cues (Davoren et al. 2003, Silverman et al. 2004.Top predator populations may also have an important role in marine ecosystems and examples exist of their perceived pivotal role. Sissenwine et al. (1984) hypothesised that the final collapse of the Georges Bank herring population was due to the presence of fin whales Balaenoptera physalus on the spawning grounds used by the remaining herring, after the stock had been seriously depleted by overfishing. Kenney et al. (1997) estimated that the total amount of fish and squid consumed by marine mammals exceeded fisheries catch in the USA Northeast Continental Shelf ecosystem. Although marine top predators are supposed to be primarily controlled by bottom-up processes, their selective removal in chronically overfished systems can also affect the stability of ecological communities (Bascompte et al. 2005, Myers et al. 2007. In fact, the relative importance of bottom-up versus top-down regulation in open-sea ecosystems is probably a matter of scale, with bottom-up processes evident at large spatial scale, and top-down processes becoming more important at smaller spatial scales (Hunt & McKinnel 2006). Many species of marine top predators (e.g. cetacean...

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Section: Prey-predator Associations In the Bay Of Biscaysupporting

confidence: 89%

Investigating the coupling between small pelagic fish and marine top predators using data collected from ecosystem-based surveys

Certain¹,

Massé²,

Canneyt³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

Self Cite

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“…It is clear that if the benefit of foraging individually is greater than that of foraging in a group, social foraging will not be a stable strategy (Caraco, 1987). It is said that preying on schooling species is the most energetically profitable foraging tactic for a cooperative predator (Meynier et al, 2008), suggesting that during summer, fewer schooling prey species were available.…”

Section: Seasonal Variation In Foraging Behaviour and Group Sizementioning

confidence: 99%

Diurnal and Seasonal Variation in the Behaviour of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Bahía San Antonio, Patagonia, Argentina

Vermeulen¹,

Holsbeek²,

Das³

2015

Aquat Mamm

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Diurnal and seasonal patterns in the behaviour of a small population of bottlenose dolphins were assessed in Bahía San Antonio (BSA), Patagonia, Argentina, between 2006 and 2011. Results indicated that dolphins used the study area mainly to rest, travel, and forage, with a marked diurnal and seasonal pattern in their activity. During the early morning, most dolphin groups were resting, while towards the afternoon and evening, surface feeding and social activities peaked. During winter, social activities and surface feeding increased notably; during summer, diving behaviour reached its peak, presumably associated with a tail-out/peduncledive foraging strategy. The observed seasonal variation in foraging strategies is hypothesised to be related to the seasonal behavioural changes of prey species in the area that are linked to spawning. The variation in group size further appears to reflect the regulation of feeding competition while reconfirming the low predation risk within the study area. Results of this study indicate the behavioural and social flexibility of bottlenose dolphins in BSA and suggest a link to the seasonal variations in prey availability. Considering the general bottlenose dolphin population declines in Argentina presumably related to prey depletion, it could be argued that the temporal occurrence of spawning shoals and a general low presence of other top predators directly and indirectly make this a favourable area for this population. Additional information is required to more comprehensively address this hypothesis. The information presented herein serves as vital baseline data for future conservation management protocols.

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“…The logical starting point to determine the reasons behind changes in bycatch rates for this species would be the distribution and availability of prey. Short-beaked common dolphins feed mostly on small, shoaling pelagic fish (Meynier et al, 2008;Santos et al, 2013 and references therein) and their distribution is known to be strongly affected by the distribution of prey (Cañadas et al, 2002). Several observations suggest short-beaked common dolphins interacted with QSCP nets as they approached the shore to feed on pelagic fish.…”

Section: Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bycatch and strandings programs as ecological indicators for data-limited cetaceans

Meager

Sumpton

2016

Ecological Indicators

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a b s t r a c tAn integrated approach of using strandings and bycatch data may provide an indicator of long-term trends for data-limited cetaceans. Strandings programs can give a faithful representation of the species composition of cetacean assemblages, while standardised bycatch rates can provide a measure of relative abundance. Comparing the two datasets may also facilitate managing impacts by understanding which species, sex or sizes are the most vulnerable to interactions with fisheries gear. Here we apply this approach to two long-term datasets in East Australia, bycatch in the Queensland Shark Control Program (QSCP, 1992(QSCP, -2012 and strandings in the Queensland Marine Wildlife Strandings and Mortality Program (StrandNet, 1996(StrandNet, -2012. Short-beaked common dolphins, Delphinus delphis, were markedly more frequent in bycatch than in the strandings dataset, suggesting that they are more prone to being incidentally caught than other cetacean species in the region. The reverse was true for humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops spp.; and species predominantly found in offshore waters. QSCP bycatch was strongly skewed towards females for short-beaked common dolphins, and towards smaller sizes for Australian humpback dolphins, Sousa sahulensis. Overall, both datasets demonstrated similar seasonality and a similar long-term increase from 1996 until 2008. Analysis on a species-byspecies basis was then used to explore potential explanations for long-term trends, which ranged from a recovering stock (humpback whales) to a shift in habitat use (short-beaked common dolphins).Crown

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Intraspecific dietary variation in the short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis in the Bay of Biscay: importance of fat fish

Cited by 102 publications

References 20 publications

Investigating the coupling between small pelagic fish and marine top predators using data collected from ecosystem-based surveys

Investigating the coupling between small pelagic fish and marine top predators using data collected from ecosystem-based surveys

Diurnal and Seasonal Variation in the Behaviour of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Bahía San Antonio, Patagonia, Argentina

Bycatch and strandings programs as ecological indicators for data-limited cetaceans

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